Old Fort Park
Managed by City Of Fort Benton
10 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: J.B. Chandler · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Fort Benton
Fort Benton has 5.8 miles of mapped trails, 2.5 for every square mile of land
18% of Fort Benton’s land is conserved, about 268 acres. 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 26 acres are parks and preserves, 18 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
268 acres · of 2.3 sq mi of land
Trails
5.8 mi
2.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
26 ac
18 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
What kind of outdoors town is Fort Benton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fort Benton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fort Benton is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fort Benton’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical MT town 10% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · MT 0.7 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land18 acres of park per 1,000 residents (26 acres) · MT 14 · U.S. 13BParks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · MT 91% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 95%
LessMore
Montana towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 10%; the U.S., 4%), so Fort Benton’s 18% is ahead of 76% of Montana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 81% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Old Fort Park, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument
Managed by Bureau of Land Management
3 acres
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trail sign
All 6 parks & preserves
Old Fort Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City Of Fort Benton
DirectionsSunset Park10 acres
DirectionsUpper Missouri River Breaks National Monument3 acres · Bureau of Land Management
DirectionsElementary Courts1 acres
DirectionsSteamboat Levee Park1 acres
DirectionsTurf Club Memorial Park1 acres · Chouteau County Fairgrounds
DirectionsWho protects it
268 conserved acres
18% of Fort Benton’s land. Who manages Fort Benton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government267 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 267 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 1 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Other or Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Other or Unknown Local Government | 267 | Unknown |
Things to do
6 places to go in Fort Benton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Fort Benton
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Fishing spots in Fort Benton
4 fishing spots without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Fort Benton
Old Fort Picnic PavilionsIn Old Fort Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.9 miUnpaved · 4.8 mi
Steamboat Levee Walking Trail0.6 mi
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
4Soccer
3Baseball
3Tracks
2Tennis
1Equestrian
1Multi-sport
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 16 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Grand Union HotelBuilding · listed 1976
About itFort Benton BridgeStructure · listed 1980
About itChouteau County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itSt. Paul's Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1980
About itMasonic BuildingBuilding · listed 1980
About itFort Benton Engine HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itI. G. Baker HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Fort Benton: May, August and September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 8.8 | 10.2 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.1 | 16.0 | 15.6 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.2 | 8.4 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 38 | 48 | 59 | 68 | 77 | 87 | 86 | 74 | 60 | 46 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
February is the driest month (0.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 2.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Fort Benton →
Questions about parks and trails in Fort Benton
Where can I hike in Fort Benton?
The longest trail networks: Old Fort Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fort Benton is conserved land?
18% of its land, against a typical 10% for a Montana town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Fort Benton’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Old Fort Park (on leash), Sunset Park (on leash) and Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Fort Benton?
44,610 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fort Benton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 26 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Fort Benton have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Fort Benton neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →